Ambition
by FalseFacts
Summary: Titus Batiatus walks through the marketplace with his son, Quintus close at hand. It is here that Quintus discovers that he has what his father lacks.


**Full Summary: Titus Batiatus walks through the marketplace with his son, Quintus close at hand. It is here that Quintus discovers that he has what his father lacks.**

**AN: I wrote this after watching the first episode of Spartacus: Gods of The Arena. I have always had a soft spot for Quintus as I see him as more of a victim then an instigator. I wondered what it was that first caused him to resent both his position and his father. This is my theory and it may be proven wrong later as the past events unfold before us but for now I accept them as truth. Please review and tell me what you think. **

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A young Quintus Lentulus Batiatus walked proudly through the busy marketplace of Capua. His father, the Dominus, walked beside him but often ended up falling behind as the young Quintus rushed ahead with rapid anticipation. Decimus, his father's bodyguard, sauntered quietly behind and eyed the crowd, though mainly the naked whores.

Batiatus watched his son's face fill with confidence and amazement. The boy was but a week shy of this 12th birthday and off by many years of becoming a man, yet his father sensed his son beginning to change and grow. For this reason Batiatus did as any loving father would and he took his maturing young boy into the streets of Capua to learn how the business of a Lanista was to be handled. They were to perches new recruits for the Ludus.

They found the area where the latest shipments of the strong and brutish slaves were to be sold. They stood in front of the stage, which was truly nothing more then a few planks of wood barely nailed together properly. The air was ripe with the pungent aroma of blood, shit, and piss. All around young Quintus were the sights and sounds of people screaming, crying, laughing, nude whores displaying their cuts for others pleasure, dealers selling their wares for far more then their worth. None of this bothered him, none of it at all. Why should it? At home he merely had to step out onto the balcony to see blood, breasts, and beasts of the fiercest kind. In many ways the child was already an aged man. Yet there was a small part of him that remained innocent….but not for long….

A man appeared on the stage along with 6 men, who were all chained together and covered in dirt and dry blood. Quintus looked up to his father, who rubbed his chin thoughtfully as the bidding began. Young Quintus watched as man after man was sold away to other Lanistas while his father stood there idly by, until the bidding ended.

Batiatus sighed heavily "Oh well, let's pray that we fair tomorrow."

Quintus raised a brow "Tommorow? Father why didn't you just bid today? There were so many good men to have chosen from. You could have bought the lot."

His father shrugged him off, it wasn't the first time that his boy had been so insolent and it had gotten to the point where he had just stopped caring. "Quintus, I assure you there were no good men to speak of. They were all shits and I would not have their stench fill my Ludus." As he spoke he could tell that his words were falling on death ears "One day when the Gods have decided my time upon this earth is over you will become Dominus and one of the first lessons you must learn is to be careful as to where you spill your coin for it may dissolve quickly if one can not see where it's truly going." He stopped short his little speech and pointed over to the whores. "Now here is a wiser place to spend coin. Batiatus turned to Decimus and placed coin in his hand and pointed back over to the whores. Decimus nodded "Yes, Dominus." and walked off.

"Father, I don't understand. You said that we were to come here and purchase Gladiators and instead you turn your attention to cunt?"

"Quintus! Where did you learn such vulgarities? Thank the Gods your mother isn't here right now or she'd punish us both for such vile language. Besides this is lesson number two. When you can't find new men to fight reward the men you have. I find that whores and wine work best."

Quintus was becoming rather annoyed with his father and the more he spoke the more he wished to slice off his fucking tongue! He'd been raised to believe that the house of Batiatus was best Ludus in all of the Roman Empire. He had watched the men fight and seen their blood spilt upon the sands and his father…his father didn't know how to spend coin where it suited him best. If he were the Dominus he'd have bought the lot and had them fight in the arena for all of Capua's entertainment. Who the fuck cares whether or not they were any good, slaves were to be used, some for sex others for blood. Why was this concept so easy for him to grasp when his father could not understand a word?

"Titus, my good man. I see you return home again empty handed." Both Titus and Quintus looked up and gazed upon the face of Antonius, another Lanista. Today he too came with his son, Vettius.

"Sadly yes, these men where of no use and I can hardly imagine them lasting but more then a day; though it would appear that you've bought one." Titus said motioning to the man bound by chains standing behind Vettius."Yes and I believe that he shall last far longer then a day. If given the proper training any fool could withstand the arena but seeing as how that in it's self would be far too difficult for you to master, I suppose no man would last longer then a day in your Ludus."

Quintus furrowed his brow _'How dare that arrogant shit face mock my family!' _Quintus looked up at his father, waiting for him to snap back and put that egotistical fuck in his place. The moment never came; instead the two men went on with idle conversation of politics and gossip. This left Quintus completely dumbfounded and fuming with rage. He and young Vettius were left alone not far from where their fathers spoke. Vettius was younger then Quintus by at least 5 or 6 years. He had golden brown locks that slide down his face and a cocky little grin staining what could only be described as a face only a mother could love.

"Your father is a cock sucker." Stated Vettius plainly

"What did you say?" he asked though Quintus new exactly what had flown out of that shit eater's mouth

"Are you deaf? I said your father is a cock sucker. He can't manage a Ludus or present a good enough champion for the games and you are just like him."

"My father's Ludus has given birth to countless champions!"

The younger boy smacked his lips "And they've all fallen. My father says that when champions fall over and over again from the same Ludus it means one thing, which is the Ludus will crumble with it. Father has told me that when I am a man and your father has perished from his own stupidity my father will be nice enough to purchase it from you and your whore of a mother."

Quintus' lips began to tremble as pure adrenaline began building its way up inside of him. Vettius mistook this look of hatred for one of fear and he began to laugh. "You really are your father's son. I insult your family and you start to tear!" Vettius began laughing all the more and people began to gather around the two boys. These onlookers only served to egg them on. They too began to laugh and the pissed off and tormented Quintus. Quintus clenched his fists tightly as he looked over the head of the people to find that his father was still involved in a mocking conversation with Antonius. Fed up and disappointed in his father, Quintus turned his attention back to Vettius and he ran forward. With the first punch to the face he knocked Vettius down on the hard cement. A loud awe came over the crowed before they continued encouraging Quintus' small fists.

After that Quintus saddled the smaller boy's chest and with both fists beat the younger boy. "I am not my father! I am not my father!..." over and over again tiny hands caused masses of droplets of blood to spill from the boys mouth and nose. Quintus stopped for but a brief moment and spoke "You will never own the house of Batiatus and I will see it become the finest Ludus in all of the Republic, you shit faced fucker!" The beating continued and now amoungst the onlookers stood Titus and Antonius. Antonius was not quite ready to help out his son as he felt that his mother cuddled him too much and that this would be the perfect opportunity for the young pup to man up a little. "It would seem your son has quite an appetite for ambition. One must wonder how it is you two are at all related." Antonius spoke and placed a hand on Titus' shoulder.

_'Ambition?'_

_'Yes! I have all the fucking ambition in the world!'_

_'I will do what he couldn't, I will see my Ludus become legend and I will have the best champion in all of the republic!'_

Titus watched his son's final moments of fighting and felt…shame. They were not the same. Had they ever been the same? His son was changing and not for the better and Titus feared that this change in his boy would be his undoing.


End file.
